Cleavage of C-N bonds in carbon fiber/epoxy resin composites

The incompletely coordinated zinc ions in water enable the cleavage of R2C(secondary carbon)-N bonds without breaking the C-O (aromatic ether) and C-C bonds in carbon fiber/epoxy resin composites. This selective cleavage of C-N bonds favors the recovery of valuable carbon fiber and the basic carbon unit of epoxy resin from their waste composites.